A true Spime creates spime wranglers. Wranglers are the class of people willing to hassle with Spimes. And it is a hassle. An enormous hassle. But its a fruitful hassle. It is the work of progress. Handled correctly, it can undo the harm of the past and enhance what is to come.
--Bruce Sterling

If, when using the camera and microphone of my future AR-assisted display, I were to record an experience including a conversation, where is the line between what is yours and what is mine? Or if I had my personal cultural assistant operating while visiting a gallery or my digital shopping assistant in a store. What...

I am writing a position paper about how position (ironically) can reduce the amount of data sent to a mobile device and make what is sent more likely to be of interest to the user. Since the paper will be distributed as part of a campaign to promote an OGC event about mobile standards later...

I don't have anything for or against Minnesota, but why would this little known state come up twice in a few days? This merits a little examining. Earlier this week a friend of mine who lived in Minneapolis in the early 90s was telling me that upon her recent visit there she was amazed at...

Information technology is supposed to benefit people. Not all people, necessarily. But some people, some of the time. Very frequently engineers are looking to solve a problem, but there are few or no end users involved in the design of solutions. There are many explanations, including lack of knowledge of the options, political agendas and...

In my most recent post I wrote a bit about what happens when I leave my office. At events I meet a lot of new people, and when out on the road I encounter objects that aren't familiar to me. It can be enlightening but it can be also dangerous and costly if time is...

Each year the producers of TED bring beautifully-articulated, thought-provoking content to the world. Those of us who are not invited or choose not to attend the event in person get free access to these talks in the weeks that follow the end of the live production. My first session from the 2012 TED program was...

It's March 18, 2012. I've entered the doors of a nice hotel in the outskirts of Austin, Texas. As I greet the agent and approach the reception desk I get my photo ID and my credit card out and lay them on the counter. After a moment of looking at a box on the counter,...

Adam Greenfield is one of the thought leaders I follow closely on urban technology topics. Adam and his network (including but going beyond the Urbanscale consulting practice) are far ahead of most people when it comes to understanding and exploring the future of technology in cities. In this post I'm capturing information about this small...

I often get asked to define a Spime. The definition is simple "Space + Time" but the implications are deeper than most people have time to think about. That's one reason that Wranglers are needed. But the fundamental attribute of a spime is that it is hyperconnected and it is doing something with its connections....

It's convenient to store your white wine and perishables outside when your refrigerator is small. On our balcony, there are no predators to come and take our food. And the temperature outside remains a relatively stable level of cool. In Western Switzerland we are experiencing a cold snap and I brought in items I had...

Changing human behavior is difficult. Go ahead, try it! Exercise more! Eat tomatoes for breakfast! Changing behavior with new technology is right up there amongst the world's greatest challenges, after world hunger and a few other issues. In my post on AR-4-Kids, I concluded that if children were introduced to AR during infancy, adopting it...

I occasionally read using the Amazon Kindle application installed on my laptop, but eBook reading doesn't appeal to me. I prefer physical books. That's why this new publication written by Amaranth Borsuk and programmed by Brad Bouse, Between Page and Screen, caught my eye. It's a physical book that can only be read using a...